The Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) includes mechanisms to give higher than normal priority to certain calls in certain circumstances. For example, the GETS allows authorized users to identify themselves to the PSTN, and be given high-priority access to trunk and switch resources. Typically, to utilize the GETS, a user places an initiating call by dialing a secret telephone number, and then enters a secret identification number, followed by the telephone number of the party being called.
While generally acceptable for its intended purpose, the foregoing approach has certain drawbacks. For example, during an emergency, trunk and/or switch resources may be scarce and call attempts may be much higher than normal. Accordingly, placing the initiating call to the secret telephone number may be delayed. That is to say, until dial tone is received by the caller in order to originate a call, there is no way to notify the telecommunication switch that the call being placed is a priority call.
In the context of normal operation, a telecommunication switch (e.g., a class 5 switch such as the Lucent Technologies 5ESS and/or other like telecommunication switches) generally provides dial tone to end user equipment (e.g., telephones) served by the switch on a first come first serve basis. That is to say, the switch scans the lines served to detect when a telephone goes off hook, and provides dial tone to those telephones going off hook in the order in which they are detected, so long as sufficient resources are available. When switch resources are low (e.g., when the switch is overloaded with calls, such as in the case of an emergency situation where many individuals are placing calls simultaneously), dial tone may not be provided to later initiated calls until resources are freed-up or otherwise made available, e.g., by other calls being ended. Accordingly, a GETS call may be unduly delayed insomuch as the priority of the GETS call is not identified until the user can place the initiating call to the secret telephone number, and the initiating call cannot be placed until a dial tone can be obtained.
In addition, users of the telephone network often need to make calls on a scheduled or periodic basis. Currently, such calls have to be established manually when the user is reminded to do so by some other means.
Accordingly, a new and improved system and/or method for establishing PSTN calls via an Internet Protocol (IP) request is disclosed that overcomes the above-referenced problems and others.